presented by the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary ClubLynn Creek Park, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway, Grand Prairie, TexasSaturday, October 12 • 8amThe 27th Annual Pumpkin Run presented by the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club is fast approaching! The main events include a 1-mile Fun Run starting at 8am, a 10k run and 5k run/walk starting at 8:30am, and an awards ceremony starting after the 10k/5k finish. There will be cash awards, a school challenge, team challenge, free pumpkin decorating, free blood pressure checks by Baylor Medical Center at Irving, free “Waffle Way” pancake breakfast with bacon from Outlaws Bar-B-Q, and photography by Movin’ Pictures. All proceeds benefit Alzheimer’s Association, plus local and regional charities. More than $400,000 has been raised at this fun event. For more information, go to www.pumpkinrun.us.

Little Shop of Horrors

Presented by the Grand Prairie Arts Councilat Uptown Theater, 120 East Main Street, Grand Prairie, 75050October 18-19 & 25-26 • 8pmOctober 19-20 & 26-27 • 2pmOne of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, this affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies is charming, tuneful and hilarious - with tongue firmly planted in cheek. A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination! Little Shop of Horrors is not appropriate for younger children.

Tickets are $11, $17 and $22. A $2 per ticket discount is available by phone for groups of 10 or more. Purchase tickets online at www.artsgp.org, or by calling the Uptown Theater Box Office at 972-237-8786. For more information contact the Grand Prairie Arts Council: 972-642-ARTS or visit www.artsgp.org.

Forest of Fear

Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake, 3401 Ragland Road, Grand Prairie, TexasOctober 18-19 • Dark-11pmOctober 25-26 • Dark-11pmBring the family out for a camping experience like no other! Decorate your campsite as spooky or scary as you can, and possibly win a prize for best decorated site! Can’t decorate a campsite? No worries – bring the family out to tour the park for just a $10 vehicle admission fee. Hayrides will be available from dark until 11 p.m. each night to tour the haunted campgrounds. There are still a few remaining campsites open, but act quickly! Go online to www.loydpark.com or call 972-237-4120 for campsite information.

Green Meadows Petting Farm at Lynn Creek Park on Joe Pool Lake, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway, Grand Prairie, TexasOpen During Fall SeasonOpen to both individuals and groups, Green Meadows gives an interactive and exciting learning experience for the young and young at heart. Featuring all your favorite barnyard animals (and more), games, songs, and a hayride. The whole family is certain to have a blast! For more information, visit www.greenmeadowsevents.com.

Tony Shotwell Life Center(formerly Bowles Life Center), 2750 Graham St.Friday, October 25 • 5-7pmTrick and treat at the Tony Shotwell Life Center Trunk or Treat! Owners of decorated cars in the parking lot will hand out candy from the car trunks, while inside kids will enjoy a haunted house and games. Free event!

Monster Mash

Farmers Market, 120 W. Main Street, Grand Prairie, Texas 75050Saturday, October 26 • 8am-1pmThe Grand Prairie Farmers Market is getting into the Halloween spirit at Monster Mash. Come celebrate Halloween at the market and enjoy pumpkin bowling, pumpkin decorating, pumpkin toss, a bounce house, face painting and costume contest to be judged on the hour. This spooky event will be for all ages to enjoy.

Kirby Creek Pumpkin Swim

Kirby Creek Natatorium, 3201 Corn Valley Road, Grand Prairie, TexasSaturday, October 26 • 1-3pmJump in and swim with hundreds of pumpkins in our heated indoor pool. Pick out your favorite and take it home. Limit one pumpkin per swimmer. $3 per person.

Haunted Hallway

Presented by "La Z" RadioTraders Village, 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie, TexasSunday, October 27 • 8am-6pmThrow on your best Halloween costume and get ready to do the Monster Mash as Traders Village presents the annual Haunted Hallway, the biggest free spooktacular for kids in the Metroplex. Bring the kids for a day full of ghostly fun. Come celebrate Halloween with a Haunted House and lots of candy. Also, pictures in our ‘PUMPKIN PATCH’ will be available for a $5 donation, benefiting the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce. It’s fun for the whole family! Traders Village is located at 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie; one exit north of I-20, off of Hwy. 360. There is no admission charge to Traders Village, which is open every Saturday and Sunday, 8am to approximately 6pm (Closing time varies seasonally.) Parking is only $3 per vehicle. For more information call 972-647-2331. Come out and celebrate Traders Village 40th Anniversary, 1973-2013!

Writing the Ghosts of Texas

Main Library, 901 Conover Dr., Grand Prairie, Texas 75051Monday, October 28 & Tuesday, October 29 • 7pmOct. 28, meet author Rita Cook, who wrote Haunted Fort Worth and Haunted Dallas. Rita is the author of more than 1,000 articles on various topics. Hauntings are a special interest, since she grew up in a house full of ghosts. Oct. 29, meet Mitchel Whitington, author of Ghosts of North Texas, and Ghosts of East Texas, and editor of anthologies like Haunted Encounters. Mitchel is an author, editor, publisher, and public speaker.

If you travel to the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex and are looking for fun things to do in DFW – visit Grand Prairie, Texas. From shopping at Traders Village to relaxing on Joe Pool Lake, Grand Prairie has it all. Our tourist information center has deals and discounts on local attractions like Lone Star Park, Ripley's Believe It or Not! & Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax, Grand Prairie Premium Outlets shopping and AirHogs tickets to information on events at Prairie Lights, Grand Prairie Farmers Market and Uptown Theater. Visit our website www.GPTexas.com for the lastest news and hotel deals right next door to the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys and Six Flags in Arlington. We're right down the street from the JFK Sixth Floor Museum, American Airlines Center and the Dallas Mavericks and Stars too. Dream big like a kid and play hard like a cowboy in Grand Prairie, Texas.